Houston’s Underground Steak Stars

It’s not often that a drunken idea turns out to be a good one—let alone the kind that leads to a full-fledged business. But that’s exactly how Meat Mafia got its start.

Back in 2019, Joseph Manglicmot, Jenny Nguyen, Bao Quan, and Bruce Huy Bui were out drinking at Bovine and Barley, a now-closed bar in downtown Houston. After a few rounds, hunger hit, and they headed to a nearby steak night. But their friend, and the bar’s owner, Jason Lowery, was unimpressed.

“We got the steak, and my friend is so disappointed,” Manglicmot recalls. “He said, ‘You guys cook this stuff way better… We should do our own steak night.’ And he added, ‘We’ll do it at my bar.’”

At the time, it seemed like nothing more than a late-night joke. But Lowery followed through—buying a grill the very next day. And with that move, the group suddenly found themselves committed.

Today, Meat Mafia balances their full-time careers—ranging from engineering to optometry—with hosting lively, biweekly pop-up steak nights at Houston bars like BLVD Park, Christian’s Tailgate, and Tikila’s.

Manglicmot, a fan of the classic salt-and-pepper steak, says they wanted to do more than just traditional cuts. Each member brings their cultural background to the table. Their wet brine recipe, infused with Southeast Asian influence, remains a secret. But the menu also features Lao-style sliced brisket, and they rotate in special items throughout the year—pulled pork sandwiches, smoked ribs, and other surprises.

“You just never know what I’m gonna be serving,” Manglicmot says. “When I decide to drop something new, we promote it all week. Instagram is our main voice.” You can reserve tomahawk steaks through direct messages, and regulars can expect dishes like New Zealand lamb chops, prime ribeye, Laos sausage, garlic herb rice, and smoked mushrooms.

Their first steak night was held in the summer of 2019 at Bovine and Barley—and it was a mess. It took 45 minutes to get food out, the team couldn’t stop arguing, and the bar was packed thanks to pre-pandemic foot traffic.

“It was so bad, and everybody could see us arguing,” Manglicmot laughs. “It was so funny.”

But they pushed forward. Over time, they streamlined their process and fell into natural roles. Nguyen runs the front of house and takes orders, Manglicmot and Quan handle recipes and cooking, and Huy Bui—dubbed the “mastermind”—takes care of logistics. The most recent team member, Dian Yi, has taken on managerial duties.

“When we first started, we were just running around like chickens with our heads cut off,” Manglicmot says. “Eventually, we all figured out where we belonged.”

Their momentum caught the attention of MasterChef in late 2019. Manglicmot was invited to audition and flew to Hollywood to film. He kept it a secret—even from his mom, telling her he was going to Africa for work. “She thought I was going to jail,” he jokes.

While he was away, the rest of the group kept Meat Mafia going. But then the pandemic hit. Production was paused, and steak nights came to a halt. Adjusting to the “new normal” was strange, Manglicmot says, and with bars closed, Meat Mafia had to wait things out.

Still, it wasn’t all bad. “Gordon Ramsay used to FaceTime us once a week to keep our spirits up,” he says, reflecting on the surreal experience.

Eventually, filming resumed and Manglicmot returned to California. Although the season didn’t air until June 2021, Meat Mafia’s popularity continued to grow in Houston.

“I think [Meat Mafia] was blowing up on its own,” he says. “The show just amplified it.”

The crew has come a long way since the early days. In the beginning, they hand-cut massive slabs of meat into 200 steaks—no easy feat with outdated tools. Now, they have better equipment and a larger team, including several former staff from Bovine and Barley.

Their work has not gone unnoticed. Meat Mafia has taken home multiple awards at Houston’s Rare Steak Championship. In 2024, they won the People’s Choice Award. In 2023, they earned top honors for Best Creative Dish (Judge’s Choice) and Best Traditional Dish (People’s Choice).

Today, they continue to host steak nights every other week, sometimes at new venues. They prioritize bars with ample space and attentive staff to handle the crowds.

As for what’s next? Manglicmot is keeping details under wraps—for now.

“We’ll be making some major changes, or exploring new things Meat Mafia can do,” he says.